Today's Johannine passage emphasises the sentence of the priest Caiaphas addressed to the Jews and pronounced concerning the imminent death of Jesus:

«You understand nothing, nor do you consider that it is fitting for you that one man should die for the people and not the whole nation perish!» (Jn 11:49-50).

Thus alluding to Christ's sacrifice as a ransom for many.

An act of love that the Gospel passage links to the motivation that Jesus himself drew from the beautiful climate of fraternity lived in the hearth of Bethany.

Francis always had Unity at heart and consumed himself for it, considering it precisely the motor and stimulus for the salvation of all humanity, the Church and, in his own small way, the communities of his brothers.

He cherished the spirit of synergy and mutual understanding, precisely because of this: the fragrance and momentum of communion had to come out of it.

For this reason he could not stand detraction, the enemy of concord.

In the Sources, Celano emphasises the shrewdness of the brothers in establishing a pact among themselves to avoid anything that might harm the honour of others. He further adds:

"For what is the detractor if not the gall of men, the ferment of wickedness, the dishonour of the world? What is the double-tongued man if not the scandal of the Order, the poison of the religious cloister, the disintegration of unity?

Alas, the earth abounds with poisonous animals and it is impossible for an honest person to escape the bites of the envious!

They promise rewards to delinquents and destroy innocence, and sometimes give the palm to falsehood.

'Behold, when one cannot live on his own honesty, he gains food and clothing by ravaging the honesty of others' (FF 769).

As his offspring grew, Francis pondered, with concern, how the young plant could be preserved and progress tightly bound in the bond of unity.

"He saw, even then, that many, like wolves, raged against the little flock - old men hardened to evil - driven to harm the new.

He also foresaw that difficulties might arise among the children themselves to the detriment of peace and unity, and he was troubled by the thought that, as often happens among the elect, there would be some who are proud in their carnal mentality, ready to quarrel and easy to scandal" (FF 609).

The defenceless Assisian, in the footsteps of Jesus, was concerned to give all of himself for the cause of the unity dear to Christ, in the Order and in the whole Church.

All in the sense of the Cross lived in the most sacred and personal concealment.

Saturday 5th wk. in Lent  (Jn 11:45-56)

In today's Gospel passage Jesus, to the Jews who did not believe in Him and wanted to stone Him, says: «even if you do not believe in me, believe in works, so that you may know and acknowledge that the Father is in me and I in the Father» (Jn 10:38).

Francis, renewed by his encounter with the Lord, had sown a new way of living and understanding the works of God.

He had a multi-dimensional gaze, which grasped the greatness of every event in perspective.

Celano, in the First Life, emphasises:

"Through Francis the ancient miracles were renewed, when in the desert of this world a fruitful vine was planted, which produces, through a new way of life, but faithful to the ancient, fragrant flowers of holy virtue and spreads everywhere the branches of holy religion" (FF 476).

"In order to draw from all things incitement to love God, he exulted in all the works of the Lord's hands and, from that show of joy, he went back to the Cause and Reason that makes all things live.

He contemplated, in beautiful things, the Most Beautiful and, following the footsteps impressed in creatures, he pursued the Beloved everywhere.

Of all things he made himself a ladder to climb and grasp the One who is all desirable.

'With the fervour of an unheard-of devotion, in each of the creatures, as in a stream, he deliberated that fountain-like Goodness, and gently exhorted them, in the manner of David the prophet, to the praise of God, for he perceived as a heavenly concert in the consonance of the various gifts and aptitudes that God had bestowed upon them' (FF 1162).

His pure and simple faith enabled him to go beyond appearances and always glimpse the Goodness of the One who is present in everything.

While always united in his every fibre with Christ, he never ceased to believe in the revelation of His works, embracing them with his tender gaze.

The Sources help us to understand:

"When he beheld the sun, the moon, the stars of the firmament, his soul was flooded with joy.

O simple piety and pious simplicity! Even for worms he felt great affection, for the Scripture said of the Lord:

«I am worm and not man»; therefore he took care to remove them from the street and put them in a safe place, so that they would not be crushed by passers-by.

And what about the other lower creatures, when we know that, during the winter, he even took care to have honey and wine prepared for the bees so that they would not freeze to death?

He magnified with splendid praise the industriousness and fineness of instinct that God had bestowed upon them, it happened that he spent a whole day praising them, those and all other creatures" (FF 458).

Yes, a heart of flesh and not of stone possesses that inward sniff that makes one recognise and believe that the Son of God does the works of the Father and with the Father, always.

Those who close their inwardness exchange the works of God for blasphemy, offending the Holy Spirit.

Francis took care of all this, and tried to pass it on to his own.

Friday, 5th wk. in Lent  (Jn 10:31-42)

Jesus claims divine sonship, claiming to have God for Father, to honour Him and be glorified by Him.

The leaders, on the other hand, who do not know the Father, mistake the Lord for being presumptuous.

Francis believed deeply in the Word of God and from the very beginning of his conversion, he committed himself to live it to the letter: 'sine glossa'.

He carried written on his heart the phrase of Jesus: «If anyone keeps my word, he will not see death forever" (Jn 8:51).

In fact, in the Perugian Legend we read:

“The ministers, knowing that according to the Rule they were obliged to observe the Gospel, had that chapter removed from it where it says: «you shall carry nothing in your walk»; deluding themselves that they were not obliged to observe Gospel perfection.

Francis, knowing this suppression by virtue of the Holy Spirit, said in the presence of some brothers:

«They believe the friars ministers to deceive God and me. Well then, that all the brothers may know and know that they are bound to observe the perfection of the holy Gospel, I want it to be written at the beginning and end of the Rule that the brothers are bound to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so that they may be inexcusable before God, I want with the Lord's help to always observe and fulfil in my behaviour the ideal that God has revealed to me for the salvation of my soul and the good of the brethren».

And indeed he observed the Gospel to the letter, from the time he began to have brothers until the day he died" (FF 1622).

And again in the Major Legend:

"Seeing that the number of brethren was growing little by little, the servant of Christ wrote for himself and his brothers, in simple words, a formula of life, in which, setting the observance of the holy Gospel as an indispensable foundation, he inserted a few other things, which seemed necessary to live in a uniform manner" (FF 1061).

And in the conclusion of the Letter to the Faithful:

«I, Brother Francis, your littlest servant, beg and entreat you, in the charity that is God, and with the desire to kiss your feet, that these words and the others of our Lord Jesus Christ with humility and love you should accept them and implement and observe them.

And those who cannot read, let them read them often, and learn them by heart, putting them into holy practice to the end, for they are spirit and life» (FF 206).

The Poor Man of Assisi, in love with the Word of God, dwelt in it, teaching his brothers to do likewise, for it was a pledge of eternal life.

And in a writing [which can be placed at the latest at the beginning of 1213] addressed to Clare, Francis expresses himself thus:

«Since, by divine inspiration, you have made yourselves daughters and handmaids of the most high King, the heavenly Father, and have married the Holy Spirit, choosing to live according to the perfection of the holy Gospel, I wish and promise, on my part and that of my brothers, always to have special care and solicitude for you, as for them» (FF 139).

«It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God’ and you do not know him» (Jn 8:54b-55)

Thursday 5th wk. in Lent  (Jn 8,51-59)

The Annunciation illustrates the art of listening in Mary, visited by the Angel Gabriel. She accepts the Mystery but asks questions of meaning, using her intelligence, in humility and dignity.

After their conversion, Francis and Clare always sought God's will by looking to Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, the one who had found favour with the Almighty by becoming the Mother of Jesus.

From the very beginning of his vocation-mission, Francis paid special and devoted attention to the Virgin.

The Sources make us aware of the extraordinary love for Her, expressed in a hieratic antiphon of the Poverello:

«Holy Virgin Mary, there is none like thee, born in the world among women, daughter and handmaid of the most high King the heavenly Father, mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ, spouse of the Holy Spirit; pray for us with Saint Michael the Archangel and with all the powers of heaven and with all the saints, to thy most holy beloved Son, Lord and Master» (FF 281).

Francis "surrounded the Mother of Jesus with an unspeakable love, because she had made the Lord of majesty our brother" (FF 786).

But Clare herself, who was considered «altera Maria», when she arrived at the Portiuncula, where Francis and the brothers were waiting for her because of her total dedication to God:

"After she had taken the insignia of holy penance before the altar of St. Mary and, almost before the nuptial thalamus of the Virgin, the humble handmaid was married to Christ, immediately St. Francis led her to the church of St. Paul*, with the intention that she should remain there until the Will of the Most High disposed otherwise" (FF 3172).

Like Mary, Clare pronounced her 'Fiat' to the will of the Father:

«Behold the handmaid of the Lord: let it be to me according to thy word» (Lk 1:38).

Oh how they both loved God's will!

Forgetful of themselves they adhered to the divine plan for them, each in her own time, each in her own groove.

In the Sources again we find:

«In the same way, then, that the glorious Virgin of virgins bore Christ materially in her womb, you too, following his vestiges, especially his humility and poverty, can always, without any doubt, bear him spiritually in your chaste and virginal body. And thou shalt contain in thee Him by whom thou and all creatures are contained, and shalt possess that which is most lasting and final good even in comparison with all the other transient possessions of this world» (FF 2893 - Letter Three to Blessed Agnes of Prague).

Francis and Clare, following the example of the humble Mary of Nazareth, loved God's will for them in a sunny and lasting way.

In fact, in a concluding prayer of Francis, we contemplate his constant yearning to seek her and follow her with abandonment.

«Almighty, everlasting, just and merciful God, grant us wretches to do, by the power of your love, what we know that you want, and to always want what pleases you, so that, inwardly purified, inwardly enlightened and kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit may we follow in the footsteps of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and, with the help of your grace alone, come to you, O Most High, who in perfect Trinity and simple Unity live and reign glorious, Almighty God for ever and ever. Amen» (FF 234 - Letter to the whole Order).

*The church and Benedictine monastery of San Paolo delle Abbadesse, where Clare was led after her consecration in the Portiuncula, stood near Bastìa Umbra, 4 km from Assisi.

Annunciation of the Lord  (Lk 1:26-38)

John presents the cross as the exaltation of Jesus and thereby emphasises that the crucifixion - in appearance only death and defeat - is in reality the glorious revelation of God's love and the ascension of Jesus to the Father.

In Francis of Assisi, the uplifted [crucified] Christ was a constant object of his meditation and conformation.

The Poverello, over time, was visited by many infirmities and sorrows borne with dignity and joy, keeping his gaze fixed on the Son of God.

The Sources do not fail to remind us:

"Francis was infirm and full of pains on every side. Seeing him like this, one day one of his companions said to him:

"Father, you have always found a refuge in the Scriptures; they have always offered you a remedy for your sorrows. Please, even now let the prophets read to you: perhaps your spirit will exult in the Lord'.

The saint replied:

«It is good to read the testimonies of Scripture, and it is good to seek in them the Lord our God.

But, as for me, I have already taken so much from the Scriptures as to be more than sufficient for my meditation and reflection.

I need no more, my son: I know Christ poor and crucified» (FF 692).

Francis always kept alive in his conscience his encounter with the Crucifix of San Damiano.

Having entered that place to pray, led there by the Spirit, that experience radically marked his existence.

"He entered to pray, prostrated himself in supplication and devotion before the Crucifix and, touched in an extraordinary way by divine Grace, found himself totally changed.

While he is so deeply moved, suddenly - which is unheard of! - the image of Christ Crucified, from the painting* speaks to him, moving His lips.

«Francis - He says to him, calling him by name - go, repair my house which, as you see, is all in ruins».

Francis is trembling and full of astonishment, and almost loses his senses at these words. But he immediately disposes himself to obey and concentrates everything on this invitation" (FF 593).

It is the Crucified One who then conforms him fully to Himself on the mountain of La Verna, reliving in the Minim's limbs His Passion.

The entire parable of the life of the Poor Man of Assisi is imbued with the Presence of the uplifted Christ.

He thus becomes an icon of reference in the journey of faith to draw every man in search to Jesus.

The mission entrusted to him by the Crucifix of San Damiano stigmatises his life, elevates him and makes him a friend of God, a place of encounter with the Divine.

Embraced by Christ, Francis began by doing what was necessary, then what was possible, and suddenly, surprisingly, he found himself doing the impossible, creating novelties and doing things pleasing to God.

Thus he allowed Love to be revealed in him and through him.

«When you have raised up the Son of Man, then you will recognise that I Am and do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me, these things I speak» (Jn 8:28)

*It is a tempera panel in Byzantine style, still visible in the basilica of St Clare in Assisi.

Tuesday 5th wk. in Lent  (Jn 8,21-30)

The woman caught in adultery and brought by the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus is the specious 'fig leaf' they use to cover their sins.

The Lord knows this to be so, as to say to the bystanders:

"Let him who is without sin among you cast a stone at her first" (Jn 8:7).

He condemns the lack of mercy, shown in an arrogant and clumsy manner.

Francis was truly the herald of Compassion - the one who always made this prevail, along with patience, in the face of the sinner, giving time to change his life.

In his Letter to a Minister he writes:

"If any of the brothers, at the instigation of the enemy, has mortally sinned, he is bound by obedience to have recourse to his guardian.

And all the brothers who know of his sin, let them not be ashamed or speak ill of him, but have great mercy on him and keep the sin of their brother very secret, because it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (FF 237).

This attitude was also profoundly transmitted to his own, so much so that:

"One day when two brothers were walking together, they came across a madman, who started throwing stones at them.

One of them, seeing that the stones were directed at his companion, immediately stepped in front of him, preferring to be hit himself instead of his brother.

Such was the mutual love that inflamed them, and so sincerely were they ready to lay down their lives for one another" (FF 1447 - Legend of the Three Companions).

Taking upon oneself the stones directed at the other: a great merciful heart that wants the salvation of one's neighbour.

On the other hand, the Poor Man of Assisi, while hating sin, welcomed with great pity those who had fallen into error.

God had remembered him when he was in sin, and now he felt called to do the same for others.

In his memory, the Gospel sentence he had experienced was fixed:

«Go, do likewise» (Lk 10:37).

In the Testament of Francis (1226) we read:

«When I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers; and the Lord himself led me among them and I used mercy with them» (FF 110).

The biographer St Bonaventure, in the Major Legend, narrates:

"No wonder: just as the piety of his heart had made him a brother to all creatures, so the charity of Christ made him even more intensely a brother to those who bear within themselves the image of the Creator and have been redeemed by the blood of the Redeemer.

He did not consider himself a friend of Christ if he did not lovingly care for the souls redeemed by Him.

Nothing, he said, must be put before the salvation of souls, and he confirmed this assertion above all with this argument: that the Only-Begotten of God, for the sake of souls, had deigned to go up on the cross' (FF 1168).

The clear consciousness of the salvation received gratuitously had made Francis the standard bearer of Mercy, who turns his gaze on the wretched in need of being healed and reawakened.

Monday 5th wk. in Lent (year A.B.)  (Jn 8,1-11)

This Sunday’s Gospel reading from John recounts the raising of Lazarus.

In the face of death, the Lord’s humanity bears witness to his love for us, his friends.

Francis of Assisi too, sensitive to the sufferings of the people, worked throughout his life and in death as an instrument of God, a sower of true life.

The Sources, in the Major Legend, offer us pearls of life passed down to us.

“In the village of Pomaranico, situated amongst the mountains of Puglia, a married couple had a single daughter, of tender age, dearly loved. But a serious illness led her to the grave.

Her parents, despairing of having any other heirs, considered themselves dead along with her.

Relatives and friends came for that funeral, so worthy of tears; but the unhappy mother, lying overwhelmed by unspeakable grief and submerged in infinite sadness, was unaware of what was taking place.

Meanwhile, Saint Francis, accompanied by a single friar, deigned to visit the desolate woman in a vision, knowing her well as his devotee.

Speaking to her with compassion,

«Do not weep», he said to her, «for the light of your lamp, which you mourn as if it were extinguished, shall be restored to you through my intercession».

The woman rose immediately and, telling everyone what the Saint had said to her, forbade the burial from proceeding; then, invoking the name of Saint Francis with great faith, she took her dead daughter by the hand and, alive, well and safe, raised her up, to the amazement of all” (FF 1264).

The Supreme Witness of the faith, Francis, acted in such a way as to give glory to the Eternal One in the presence of all, testifying that Jesus is truly

the resurrection and the life, for whoever believes in Him, even if they die, will live.

«I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if they die, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?» (Jn 11:25–26)

5th Sunday of Lent A (Jn 11:1–45)

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus, who proposed himself as the Fountain of True Water, is answered by people of the people, who assert:

«He is indeed the prophet!» (Jn 7:40) - and Pharisees who counter:

«from Galilee no prophet rises!» (Jn 7:52).

Two opposing theses, but verified and unhinged by facts at the moment when, on the cross, the centurion will say that the one who was crucified was indeed the Son of God.

Real events lay bare the truth.

This is what happened in the life of Francis of Assisi: events demonstrated the authentic and eloquent character of his naked living.

Consulting the Franciscan Sources, we encounter passages that truly underline his charisma as a prophet.

"Since the herald of Christ was famous for these and many other prodigies, people paid attention to his words as if he were speaking as an Angel of the Lord.

For the prerogative of the lofty virtues, the spirit of prophecy, the thaumaturgical power, the mission to preach coming from heaven, the obedience of creatures deprived of reason, the sudden conversions of hearts brought about by hearing his word, the knowledge infused by the Holy Spirit and superior to human doctrine, the authorisation to preach granted by the Supreme Pontiff by divine revelation, as well as the Rule, which defines the form of preaching, confirmed by the Vicar of Christ himself and, finally, the signs of the Supreme King impressed like a seal on his body, are like ten testimonies for the whole world and confirm without a shadow of a doubt that Francis, the herald of Christ, is worthy of all veneration for the mission received, authentic in the doctrine taught, admirable for holiness and that, therefore, he preached the Gospel of Christ as a true envoy of God" (FF 1221).

If for his total change of life there were those who called him a madman, the events of which he became the bearer confirm his prophetic charisma.

In Clare's Testament, compiled along the lines of that of the Poverello, we find something that corroborates what has been said above.

"While in fact, the Saint himself, who had as yet neither brothers nor companions, almost immediately after his conversion, was intent on repairing the church of San Damiano, where, receiving that visit from the Lord in which he was inebriated with celestial consolation, he felt the decisive urge to abandon the world altogether, in a transport of great joy and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, he prophesied concerning us what the Lord subsequently fulfilled" (FF 2826).

And again:

"Having climbed over the wall of the said church, so he cried out, in an open voice and in French, addressed to some poor people who were standing nearby:

«Come and help me in this work of the monastery of San Damiano, for soon women will come to inhabit it, and by the fame and holiness of their lives glory will be rendered to our heavenly Father throughout his holy Church» (FF 2827).

Could a prophet arise from Assisi?

Yes, a great prophet, if even today everyone recognises him and follows him with amazement for his extraordinary humility blossomed in multiple evangelical gifts, to the praise of God.

«Those in the crowd said, 'This is indeed the prophet!'» (Jn 7:40) [...].

«Study, and see that out of Galilee no prophet rises!» (Jn 7:52)

Saturday 4th wk. in Lent  (Jn 7:40-53)

Today's Gospel passage portrays Jesus going, almost covertly, to the Feast of Booths, in a persecutory atmosphere.

He does not go at the time that seemed opportune to his relatives, nor does he intend to manifest himself in the way they wanted.

Instead, he goes up there afterwards, and in a different way: to fulfil his mission as set by God, not to seek his own glory.

Francis, too, did not follow the path his father wanted, but the mission entrusted to him by the Lord, according to the 'canvas' of divine will.

In fact, consulting the Sources, we understand many things in this regard.

For example, we become aware of the obstinate persecution of the father, who could not bear Francis' repudiation of his previous life, spent in merry bandits.

He wanted his son to live another way, far from God's plans as he was.

"While the servant of God was dwelling in the company of this priest, his father heard about it and ran there with a distraught soul.

But Francis, an athlete still in his infancy, having been informed of the threats of the persecutors and foretelling of their coming, wanted to leave time for wrath and hid himself in a secret pit.

He remained hidden there for a few days, and in the meantime he unceasingly supplicated, amidst rivers of tears, to the Lord, that He would deliver him from the hands of the persecutors and bring to fulfilment, with His goodness and favour, the pious intentions He had inspired in him" (FF 1040).

The Poverello was not concerned to please his parental prerogatives, but the project and mission prepared by God, even in the vituperation of the city of Assisi.

"The citizens of Assisi, seeing him squalid in the face and changed in spirit, thought he had lost his mind, and threw mud and stones from the streets at him, and, shouting and clamouring, insulted him as a madman, a demented person.

But the servant of God, without being discouraged or upset by the insults, passed among them, as if he were deaf.

When his father heard that strange racket, he rushed immediately, not to free his son, but rather to ruin him: putting aside all feeling of pity, he dragged him home and persecuted him, first with words and beatings, then by putting him in chains.

But this experience made the young man more ready and more determined to complete the task he had begun, because it reminded him of that saying in the Gospel:

«Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven» (FF 1041).

Even so, the Minim of Assisi, like Jesus, did not want to serve what common opinion considered opportune and convenient to do.

He preferred to follow, in another way, what Providence had revealed to him and in a manner that was disconcerting for the mentality of the world in which he lived.

His family, his fellow citizens knew Francis, but they did not understand that he was a beloved son of the heavenly Father.

A creature who had been entrusted with an unequivocal mission of renewal in the Christian walk.

«[Of course] you know me and you know where I am from. Yet I came not of myself, but he is true who sent me, whom you do not know. I know him, because I am from him and he has sent me» (Jn 7:28-29)

Friday 4th wk. in Lent  (Jn 7:1-2.10.25-30)